Fallout 3 Artist Gets Stopped by Security While Scouting Locations in Washington DC: “They Don’t Appreciate Uninvited Guests”

Emil Pagliarulo, a designer for Fallout 3, shared an interesting story about the location scouting for the game, revealing that one artist nearly found himself in hot water during the process.

In a conversation with an outlet, the developers expressed how exhilarating it was to virtually wreak havoc in familiar places. Artist Istvan Pely noted, “it was actually a lot of fun,” emphasizing that there’s something satisfying about blowing things up.

While the thrill was undeniable, Pely mentioned the advantage of being close to their references, saying it was “super convenient living here.” However, the idea of demolishing the nation’s capital raised some eyebrows.

Pagliarulo recounted a particular incident during their location scouting. “At one point,” he said, “one of our artists went downtown to take photos, and security stopped him, asking, ‘What are you taking photos for?’ They’re understandably protective about people wandering around the buildings in DC.”

Despite the risks involved in their reconnaissance, the team was surprised by how much they were able to get away with. Pagliarulo remembered an ad campaign where they placed standees depicting a destroyed DC in the metro, which led to some confusion: “They had newscasters interviewing people.”

Pely reflected on that campaign, saying, “Now I look back and I’m like, ‘Wow, they actually allowed that?'” He added, “I don’t know if you could do that today.”

It also took Bethesda “several months” to get Liberty Prime in Fallout 3 to behave properly and stop attacking random NPCs: “It’s all we’re asking you to do, sir.”